Weekend Roundup

Find the best Los Angeles things to do for the weekend of 01.28.11

EVENTSTHE ARTIST’S MUSEUM

Through Jan. 31. This comprehensive show at the Museum of Contemporary Art looks at the works of 146 artists who have shaped the art scene in Los Angeles since MOCA’s founding 30 years ago. The event features exhibitions at MOCA Grand Avenue as well as the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo. MOCA Grand Avenue (GA), 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Geffen Contemporary (GC), 152 N. Central Ave., downtown, 213.626.6222. moca.org

CIRQUE BERZERK

Jan. 27-30. Like a darker, sexier, not-really-for-kids version of Cirque du Soleil, Los Angeles-based performance troupe Cirque Berzerk moves into downtown’s Club Nokia for a residency featuring its unique brand of performance art. Since its inception five years ago at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, Cirque Berzerk’s show has blended cabaret, vaudeville and circus acts; the talented cast features acrobats, contortionists, singers, fire breathers and dancers, trapeze artists and aerialists. The performers are accompanied by live music from co-founder and “ringmaster” Kevin Bourque, and gothic-tinged stage sets and costumes add to the otherworldly ambience. The troupe debuts a brand-new performance during its residency; previous productions have included Beneath, an interpretation of the Greek myth of Orpheus. Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown, 213.480.3232 Map I15 www.clubnokia.com

TRACES-REAL PEOPLE. UNREAL FEATS

Through Feb. 20. TRACES combines awe-inspiring acrobatics with infectious urban energy. Seven performers deliver dazzling, gravity-defying displays of skill, dance, and acrobatic brilliance. 7 Fingers, a French Canadian company, puts on the show and are known for pioneering a new brand of circus. TRACES was a runaway hit at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007 and now it’s coming to Los Angles for the very first time. 8 p.m. Ricardo Montalbán Theatre, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood, 800.982.ARTS(2787). www.themontalban.com

CAVALIA

Through Jan. 30. This spectacle created by one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil, is staged under the “White Big Top” in downtown Burbank. The show is a combination of equestrian arts, visual effects, live music, dance and acrobatics. It involves 50 horses and 33 performers, including riders, aerialists, acrobats, dancers and musicians. Cavalia visited Los Angeles for the first time in 2004, and it played to sold-out houses. Since the original production debuted in 2003 in Quebec, Canada, Cavalia has been enjoyed by more than 2.5 million people. 777 N. Front St., Burbank, 866.999.8111. www.cavalia.net

SOCIAL DISTORTION

Jan. 27-29. Storied punk band from the OC takes the stage at the Hollywood Palladium for three nights. The group is on tour to support their newest album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes. 6215 West Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323.962.7600.

DANCEGRUPO CORPO

Jan. 28-30. Known for consistently challenging perceptions of ballet and modern dance, Brazil’s Grupo Corpo (literally translated to “Body Group”) incorporates a broad range of elements, from minimalism and rootsy modernity to vigorous pop and urban sounds. The Music Center debut includes the inventive and athletic new piece, sure to astound audiences with its contagious energy. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211 Map H16 www.musiccenter.org

Jan. 29. Luminario Ballet dancers interpret the setting: a 19th century German village countryside in winter and bring to life the story of heartbreak, nature, and introspection, to compliment the beauty of the quec played by Le Salon de Musiques’s Francois Chouchan on piano and Christopher Herbert, baritone. 8 p.m. Tickets $40/$20 students. First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. www.angelesconcertsartists.com/ballet.asp

EAT | DRINKDINE LA

Jan 27-28; 30-Feb. 4. Enjoy gastronomic gems from restaurants such as Beechwood, Inn at the Seventh Ray, Hungry Cat, Buchon, Nobu, Michael’s, Comme Ca and more, for a fraction of the price. Some 297 of the city’s top restaurants offer specially priced three-course tasting menus for both lunch and dinner. www.dineLA.com/RestaurantWeek

FEDERAL BAR

Opens Jan. 28. North Hollywood 1920s bank space gets a new gastropub that features gourmet and diverse bar cuisine with a wide selection of micro brews, bourbons, scotches and wine. 5303 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, 818.980.2555.

TOKYO NOUVEAU CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH PARTY

Sundays. Stop into Royal/T for a playful weekly dining series that combines the best of electronic beats, bubbles, and brunch fare at Culver City’s premier art space, retail store, and Japanese “cosplay” maid café. Pop open a bottle of Veuve du Varnay Brut Champagne ($28), or indulge in bottomless mimosas for $12 when you order a brunch special like eggs benedict; salmon croque madame; and salade niçoise with seared ahi, green beans, quail egg, and olives. Royal/T, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.559.6300. www.royal-t.org

SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPER

Sundays. Wind down the weekend at District On Sunset with a $35, 3-course prix-fixe dinner. The menu that changes weekly features selections made from Farmers Market ingredients. District On Sunset, 6600 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323.962.8200. www.districtonsunset.com

THEATER33 Variations

Previews begin Jan. 30. Jane Fonda reprises her Broadway role in this five-time Tony Award-nominated play at the Ahmanson Theatre. Leading a cast that includes Samantha Mathis and Colin Hanks, Fonda plays a music scholar with a terminal diseast trying to unravel a mystery about the Beethoven compositions of the play’s title. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.4400.

JOHN LITHGOW STORIES BY HEART

Through Feb. 13. In this one-man show at the Mark Taper Forum downtown, a unique take on theatrical memoir, much-lauded actor John Lithgow lovingly reinterprets a selection of tales passed down in his family from storytellers including P.G. Wodehouse and Ring Lardner. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772 Map H16